State worker charity campaign nose-dives

[TexasTowelie]

Florida’s annual state worker charity drive, which came under fire last year for exorbitant overhead, finished its worst campaign last week in its 36-year history.

And once again, the New Jersey company that serves as the campaign’s fiscal agent, Solix, Inc., is set to get most of the money.

The Florida State Employees’ Charitable Campaign, which ran Sept. 1 through Nov. 10, raised only $282,092 in pledges, according to the Department of Management Services. Solix, under its contract with the state, would get $180,000, or nearly 64 percent. The rest — only about $102,000 — would go to charities.

“This is another casualty of outsourcing and privatization,” said state Rep. Loranne Ausley, D-Tallahassee. “This is a company outside the state of Florida that has pretty much driven the campaign into the ground.”

Read more: http://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2016/11/16/state-worker-charity-drive-finishes-worst-year-ever/93958972/

[font color=330099]I never gave in the state charity campaign when I was a public employee because I did not agree with some of the charities chosen. This is one instance the state should get out of the way, send a reminder to employees of the importance of charitable giving and let the individual employees decide how to distribute their giving.[/font]

[csziggy]

1. When I worked for the State of Florida there was a lot of pressure to donate

Even for lowly Clerk I positions that made less than minimum wage. One of the women who worked supported her disabled husband and four children on her pittance. She qualified for food stamps and a lot of other aid and probably got help from some of the organizations that got money from United Way. But she still got pressure from her supervisor to donate to the office drive - and was reprimanded in front of the entire office for not giving more.

Back then, United Way lead the drives but the pressure came from the office managers who got credit for increasing the total donations in the office. It left such a bad taste in my mouth I will never donate to United Way - and it has been over forty years. United Way of the Big Bend would have been that group - and they don't get great ratings from Charity Navigator: https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=10093

I wonder who changed the group soliciting donations?

[TexasTowelie]

2. Yes, the charity drive for Texas employees was also run by United Way.

The supervisors also exerted a lot of pressure on the employees and pretty much insinuated that anyone that did not contribute was not a team player. They could use that as a reason for passing employees over for pay raises and promotions., It stank so much that it made me wonder whether those supervisors received a kickback.

I did not want to donate because one the organizations represented by United Way was a Catholic charity that was strongly opposed to abortion. I could not in good conscience provide money for such a cause. It is because of the pressure exerted by the employers that I do not feel like this is an activity that should occur at work I don't find it much different than forcing an employee to join a union, except with a union you are supposed to get some assurance that the union is looking after your best interests while there is no similar guarantee when you donate.

[csziggy]

3. Yeah - that was the other part - no control over who gets the donations

When I was working for the state it was too soon after Roe v. Wade for the right wing to have organized resistance so that wasn't an issue.

To pressure people who were going to the exact same charities to give money was insane. And I am sure that was one reason I was passed over for a promotion - that and the guy that got the job was a vet and a father. Yep, the supervisor told me that since I was a single woman I didn't need the promotion as much as the (very stupid) man who did get it.

Two weeks later my parents offered me enough money to go back to finish my degree so I walked out.